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Month: April 2023

BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Webb City tops Joplin, Carthage beats Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY 5, JOPLIN 4

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Joplin won two of the three doubles matches, but Webb City claimed four of the six singles matches to earn a Central Ozark Conference boys tennis victory on Tuesday. 

At No. 1 doubles, Joplin’s Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood edged Jacob McDaniel and Trevor Peterson 8-6.

At No. 2 doubles, Joplin’s Leif Garrity and Oscar Kienzle beat Zachary Stump and Lucas Lowery 8-6.

Webb City’s Felipe Perez and Tristan Lynch defeated Roman Venturella and Chapel Braman 8-4 at No. 3 doubles.

At No. 1 singles, Webb City’s McDonald defeated Badr 8-4 and Peterson beat Hazlewood 8-5 at No. 2 singles.

Joplin’s Garrity defeated Stump 8-2 at No. 3 singles.

Webb City won at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, as Perez defeated Venturella 8-2 and Lynch topped Braman 8-2.

At No. 6 singles, Joplin’s Kienzle edged Lowery 9-7.

“We lost a close match tonight against Webb City,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “Adam and Josiah were great at No. 1 doubles. They hit a couple obstacles in singles and weren’t able to string together enough games at the end for a comeback. Leif and Oscar played really well at No. 2 doubles in their first match as a varsity doubles team. They also came away with singles wins by playing out a lot of lengthy points.”

Webb City will compete at the Monett Invitational on Wednesday. 

Joplin is at Branson on Thursday.

 

CARTHAGE 9, NEOSHO 0

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Tigers swept the three doubles matches and six singles matches against the Wildcats on Tuesday.

In doubles, Carthage’s Charles Snow and William Wallace defeated Christian Williams-Willis Jarvis 8-1, while Silas Laytham and Danilo Lopez-Gramajo beat Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams 8-1 and Joshua Rivera and Eli Scott topped Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade 8-3.

In singles, Snow beat Christian Williams 8-4, Laytham defeated Jarvis 8-1, Rivera topped Snyder 8-3, Lopez-Gramajo beat Peyton Williams 8-2, Wallace handled McAffrey 8-1 and Fabian Solano defeated Schade 8-1.

Neosho is at Republic on Thursday. Carthage is at the Monett Invitational on Wednesday. 

BASEBALL: Darnell’s stellar outing leads Webb City past Carl Junction

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — A masterful pitching performance from Kaylor Darnell and some timely hitting propelled Webb City to a 6-0 victory over Carl Junction on Tuesday in a Central Ozark Conference matchup at Chuck Barnes Field.

A senior right-hander, Darnell delivered a gem on the mound. 

A Missouri Southern signee, Darnell struck out 11, scattered five hits, walked two and hit one in 6 2/3 shutout innings before reaching his pitch count in the seventh inning.

“We’ll take 11 strikeouts any day,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said. “Kaylor definitely kept them down. He didn’t throw real well at the beginning of the game. I think he had 58 pitches through the first three innings. But then he started cruising. It was a great performance. He really settled down and found his fastball and he let his other stuff work for him, too.” 

Webb City senior right-hander Kaylor Darnell struck out 11 and tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.

Ending a three-game skid, Webb City hiked its record to 12-9 overall and 5-1 in the COC. 

Carl Junction slipped to 7-13 overall and 2-4 in conference action.

“We had 11 strikeouts and that was the name of the game,” Carl Junction coach Phil Cook said. “You can’t do that. They only out-hit us 7-5. I wonder what could have happened if we could just cut those strikeouts in half. We needed a hit in a key situation to get us going. 

“Kaylor threw a really good game,” Cook added. “I think he’s one of the better pitchers around the area. I know he’s a good kid and I wish him all the luck…except when he plays us. But he threw a great game tonight.”

In a clash between district rivals, the Cardinals pushed across two runs in the bottom of the first inning against Carl Junction starter Lucas Vanlanduit.

Junior second baseman Sam Weller reached on a dropped third strike to start the frame and senior shortstop Cy Darnell was hit by a pitch before junior catcher Shaun Hunt smacked a two-run double into right-center.

“It’s always nice if you can get on the scoreboard first,” Doennig said. “It was big getting two runs in the first inning like that.” 

With runners on the corners and just one out, the hosts had a golden opportunity for a big inning, but the Bulldogs used a double play and a fly out to avoid further damage in the first frame.

Webb City stranded the bases loaded in the third, as Vanlanduit induced an inning-ending pop-up off the bat of junior designated hitter Brett Korth to keep the game a two-run affair.

The Cardinals blew the game open with four runs in the fourth.

Senior left fielder William Hayes walked, went to second on a passed ball and sprinted home after a Carl Junction error after senior center fielder Gage Chapman laid down a bunt in front of the plate. 

Later in the frame, Chapman charged home after a CJ error following his stolen base attempt at third base. 

Webb City’s Kenley Hood stretches to secure the throw at first base against Carl Junction’s Logan Eck on Tuesday at Barnes Field. Photo by Israel Perez.

Next, Cy Darnell’s sac fly gave the Cardinals a five-run advantage. The hosts weren’t done, as junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar tripled before senior first baseman Kenley Hood’s RBI single into left made it 6-0.

“We talk all the time about putting pressure on the other team’s defense,” Doennig said. “I thought we did a really good job of that. We ran a little bit, put pressure on them and it worked out for us.”

Carl Junction threatened with two outs in the sixth, as Vanlanduit was plunked before Logan Eck singled. But Darnell was able to retire Drew Massey on a pop fly in foul territory. 

The Bulldogs put two runners on in the seventh after a Webb City error and an infield single by Wyatt McAfee. Doennig was forced to pull Darnell with two outs due to the pitch count. 

Senior righty Walker Sweet took over on the hill and recorded the final out to secure the win. 

Hood went 2-for-4 for the Cardinals, while Hunt drove in two runs and Weller scored twice. 

Chapman had four of Webb City’s six stolen bases. The Cardinals also took advantage of three errors and several wild pitches and passed balls to take extra bags.

“We’ve tried to encourage guys to run, and we’ve got some guys who can really move,” Doennig said. “We took some chances and it worked out.” 

A Pittsburg State signee, the right-handed Vanlanduit took the loss after allowing three earned runs on seven hits, three hit batters and two walks. 

“Lucas threw well,” Cook said. “We just had a couple of innings where it got away from us. We had some miscues and you can’t do that against a good team.”

Senior Gaige Carson tossed two scoreless innings in relief for the Bulldogs.

A sophomore right fielder, McAfee had two of Carl Junction’s five hits. 

Both teams have COC home games on Thursday, as Carl Junction hosts Republic and Webb City entertains Ozark.

Cook noted his squad will look to bounce back on Thursday.

“We’re learning and we’re getting there,” Cook said. “With us, it’s been the same thing…we beat ourselves. We have to get away from that.”

Doennig’s Cardinals will look to continue their winning ways with Thursday’s COC home game. 

“I think we’re playing pretty well right now,” Doennig said. “I feel good about where we’re at. We’ve got some tough games coming up. It doesn’t get any easier for us, but I know our guys will be ready to play.”

 

Carl Junction first baseman Bentley Rowden is unable to haul in the throw at first base as Webb City’s Gage Chapman reaches safely. Webb City beat Carl Junction 6-0 in COC play. Photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.

 

Webb City’s Gage Chapman steals a base against Carl Junction on Tuesday.

 

Carl Junction’s Lucas Vanlanduit delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City on Tuesday.

 

Webb City’s Sam Weller takes a throw at second base against Carl Junction’s Cody Hollingsworth. All photos by Israel Perez.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Seneca beats Lamar; College Heights and McAuley take losses

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SENECA 6, LAMAR 5

SENECA, Mo. — Seneca faced a one-run deficit before plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to earn a walk-off win over Lamar on Tuesday.

After Conner Ackerson scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game at 6-6, Payne Sikes promptly ended things with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Hagan Ginger as the winning run. 

Grant Houchin started and took a no-decision for Seneca, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits, two walks and two strikeouts in five innings. Sikes earned the win in relief after pitching two scoreless innings.

TJ Ansley started and took a no-decision for the Tigers after allowing four runs on seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts in six innings. Cooper Haun took the loss in relief after allowing two unearned runs on a walk in 2/3 of an inning.

Ackerson had three hits, scored a run and drove in one for the Indians. Lincoln Renfro doubled, scored once and added an RBI. Kaden Clouse had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.

Seneca is at McDonald County on Tuesday.

 

RIVERTON 13, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 9

RIVERTON, Kan. — Riverton scored four times in the bottom of the fourth inning and four times in the sixth before holding off College Heights for a win on Tuesday. 

Zach Feldkamp earned the win in relief after allowing four runs on four hits and a walk in three innings.

Smoke Ezell took the loss after allowing nine runs on 10 hits, four walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

Austin Miller and Phillip Thompson each had two hits for CHC. Miller scored once and drove in two, while Thompson scored once. Jayce Walker had a hit, walked twice, drove in two and scored twice for the Cougars.

College Heights (5-9) hosts Wheaton on Friday.

 

EXETER 12, MCAULEY 8

EXETER, Mo. — Exeter used a nine-run fourth inning to erase a five-run deficit and added three insurance runs in the sixth on the way to a win over McAuley on Tuesday.

Wyatt Lemons earned the win after allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits, a walk and three strikeouts in four innings. 

Rocco Bazzano-Joseph took the loss after allowing nine runs on seven hits, a walk and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Bradley Wagner doubled and homered, totaling six RBI and a run scored to lead McAuley (5-9) at the plate. Bazzano-Joseph doubled and had two hits at the plate to go along with two runs scored and an RBI. Case Richards doubled, drove in one and scored a run. Joe Staton had a hit and scored twice.

McAuley is at Southwest on Wednesday.

 

BASEBALL: One bad inning costs Neosho against state-ranked Nixa

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — Tuesday’s home game against the Nixa Eagles, sixth-ranked in Class 6 and one of the best teams in the Central Ozark Conference and Class 6 District 6, started out promisingly for their conference and district rival Neosho Wildcats.

Neosho senior pitcher Kael Smith retired Nixa in order in the top of the first and senior right fielder Eli Zar started the bottom half with a single to center for the game’s first hit.

Senior center fielder Wyatt Shadwick reached on a hit-by-pitch, but fellow senior Austin Rodriguez lined into a double play to Nixa second baseman Collin Ussery to end the inning and Nixa junior catcher Jack Edwards slugged a leadoff double to start a four-run second for the Eagles on their way to a 6-1 win over the Wildcats at Roy B. Shaver Field within the Marion Sports Complex.

“They can hit,” Neosho coach Bo Helsel said. “We just saw them this past weekend and they hit us around quite a bit. We knew they were going to hit, and one thing we didn’t do on the mound was … we had too many walks today. When you have a team that can hit that well, you give them too many walks, a couple here and there, they drive those runs in. That was what doomed us today.

“We had our chances. In the first inning, we got doubled up. That happens, especially when the second baseman is coming to the bag. You’re probably getting doubled up even if you go straight back, but that’s the game sometimes. I thought the bats were much better today than they’ve been in other conference games, so that’s something to build on that’s for sure.”

The Eagles scored their four in the second behind a Broden Mabe RBI single, a Wyatt Vincent sacrifice fly, and bases loaded walks by Ussery and Rylan Michel. Smith gave three of the Wildcats’ seven walks in that second that saw Nixa produce four runs on four hits and no errors with three runners left behind.

Nixa added on two in the fourth with a Michel RBI double and a Edwards RBI single. Ussery sparked the rally and scored the first run of the fourth after his leadoff double.

Tanner Grant started the Nixa third with a triple, but he got caught and captured in a rundown between third and home. Reese Dirnberger reached second on a fielder’s choice and by taking advantage of Grant’s pickle on the bases, but Smith induced a fly ball for the second out and struck out Mabe to retire the side and preserve the 4-0 deficit.

Neosho relievers Colton Southern and Bostyn Patterson pitched three scoreless innings of relief, with the junior Southern working through four walks in his two innings and the sophomore Patterson striking out Gehrig Eoff, Mabe, and Ussery in order and down swinging.

“Colton came in and threw really well,” Helsel said. “I knew the change of speeds between Kael and Colton was hopefully going to mess with them and it did. He threw strikes and Bostyn came in and struck out the side in the seventh. That’s nice to have, because both those kids will be back next year so hopefully, they can get a little confidence in their pitching abilities playing against a really good team. They shut (Nixa) down for three innings, kept us in the game, and gave us a shot to get back in it. We just couldn’t quite it done with the bats.”

Southern and especially Patterson stepped up for the Wildcats during their first game following a week where they played six games in five days.

“I think it was his second varsity outing,” Helsel said of Patterson. “It’s been a week or so. He’s been one of our JV starters, and sometimes when you have a lot of games over the weekend, you end up running a lot of guys that typically would throw varsity out there on the weekend, so we didn’t have a lot of guys available with pitch counts.

“I knew that with our young guys, they’re solid. We’re going to be fine next year with pitching, because we’ve got guys who can throw it. I knew this would be a good opportunity for them, they kept us in the game, and they did their jobs.”

The Wildcats scored their only run in the fifth when River Brill reached on a single, stole second and scored on Southern’s single to center.

Zar led the Wildcats with a pair of hits against Nixa starter Jackson Gamble, who struck out Neosho hitters to end five of the seven innings Tuesday.

Neosho dropped to 13-10 overall and 1-5 COC, and the Wildcats return home Thursday for a conference game against Branson.

“Definitely a winnable game, but we’ve learned this year and we learned it last year that when you play in the COC, you have to come in and compete every day that you play a COC team,” Helsel said. “Nothing’s handed to you, they don’t make a lot of errors behind them, their pitchers are solid, and so we’re going to have to come and play well to get a win. I think it is a game we can get, I think the kids feel that, and hopefully we can use the good things that we did today and build on that for Thursday.”

BASEBALL: Two-out runs lead Joplin past Carthage in COC pitcher’s duel

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Joplin’s Byler Reither and Carthage’s Nolan Brown battled in a pitcher’s duel on the bump with a pair of two-out RBI knocks by the Eagles’ offense being the difference in a 3-1 win in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday.

“At the end of the day, it was good pitching and timely hits,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “Those things are usually a good recipe to have success in a baseball game.”

Reither earned the win on the mound after allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings, scattering four hits, walking one and striking out 10. Brecken Green made his varsity debut by finishing off the save opportunity in the top of the seventh with a one-pitch popup to finish the win.

“Byler has been what Byler has been for a handful of games now,” Wolf said. “He is competing in the zone and using good stuff. He’s getting weak contact when they do make contact. He is hard to barrel up and I think you saw that today. … Brecken Green comes in there as a freshman in his first varsity experience and throws one pitch to get the save. You have to be excited about that as well.”

Brown took the tough-luck loss after allowing three runs on six hits and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

“Nolan has been a little inconsistent with his stuff (this season) but today in the bullpen he said, ‘Coach, I feel good.’ He just attacked the zone,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “We told him we wanted to get him through three (innings) in 60 pitches because we have a tournament this weekend and he got through 5 2/3 in 60 pitches. Joplin is an aggressive bunch, we knew that coming in, and he kept them off balanced with early (offspeed pitches for strikes). I can’t say enough good things. He just needs to continue to fill up the zone.”

Joplin (6-12, 2-3 COC) got on the board with a pair of extra-base hits in the second inning to take the initial lead. Layten Copher started the inning with an opposite field double over the head of the left fielder before Eli Sotlar delivered a two-out, go-ahead RBI double down the third-base line for a 1-0 advantage.

Carthage (3-18, 0-5 COC) rallied to tie the game in the top of the fourth inning when Clay Kinder led off with a double past first base before ultimately coming around to score on an RBI groundout from Brady Carlton with one out to tie the game at 1s.

“He had a good day in batting practice yesterday and really focused on hitting the ball to the opposite field,” Bordewick said of Kinder’s day at the plate. “It was nice to see his first AB staying through a ball to the opposite-field gap. He has been stroking it for us and is coming around. Hopefully, he can continue to carry that on because he is a catalyst for our offense.”

The Eagles’ offense again went to work with two outs in the last of the fifth. Jackson Queen started things with a leadoff single before a one-out single from Brock Waghorn. With two outs and runners on second and third, Brady Mails put Joplin back in front for good with a two-run single to left field for a 3-1 lead.

“Brady came up huge right there, being able to get a ball into left field,” Wolf said. “(Pinch runner) AJ (Alejandro De La Torre) did a great job coming from second base and keeping his eyes on me to be able to get in there and score, too. That third run was pretty big.”

“I think the more times that you do it, you get more confidence to think that you can,” Wolf added about Joplin’s late game heroics this season. “We have done it in different ways …Our thing is, we’ve needed to be better in the early innings to put ourselves in a situation to win a game late.” 

Mails finished with a hit and two RBI for Joplin, while Sotlar doubled and drove in one. Copher doubled and scored a run, while Queen added a hit and a run scored as well.

Kinder doubled twice and scored a run for Carthage, while Drew Musche had a 2-for-2 game at the plate.

Carthage hosts Nixa in COC action on Thursday before taking part in the Lawrence River City Festival over the weekend.

Joplin closes a busy week hosting a COC matchup against Willard on Thursday before hosting Smithville and Nevada on Senior Day on Saturday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

“I just want to see us play hard and compete,” Wolf said. “Put ourselves in games late and have an opportunity to win. Pitching is always interesting during weeks like this because you have a plan, but you take it day by day. Then you reevaluate. Our next three are going to be tough games. … Hopefully, this is a little bit of a jumping board. You have a good feeling coming out of this one and stack some good days on good days.”

BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Joplin falls to Kickapoo; Mount Vernon defeats College Heights

Posted on by Lucas Davis

KICKAPOO 12, JOPLIN 9

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Kickapoo scored 12 runs in the first four innings and held off Joplin for a non-conference win on Monday.

The Chiefs (13-12) scored a run in the first inning, three in the second, added six more in the third and plated two runs in the fourth to take a 12-0 lead. The Eagles (5-12) put on a furious rally with three runs in the fifth, another in the sixth and five runs in the seventh before Kickapoo snuffed out the comeback bid.

Parker Lambeth earned the win after allowing four runs, one earned, on two hits, a walk and seven strikeouts in six innings.

Alex Isbell took the loss for Joplin after allowing eight runs, five earned, on six hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Layten Copher, Landon Maples and Jackson Queen all had hits and an RBI for Joplin, while Brady Mails and Caden Shoemaker each had hits and scored a run.

Joplin hosts Carthage on Tuesday.

 

MOUNT VERNON 10, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 0 (5 INNINGS)

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Mount Vernon scored four times in the first inning to take control on the way to a five-inning win over College Heights Christian on Monday.

The Mountaineers scored two insurance runs in the third inning, another in the fourth and ended the game early with a three-run fifth inning. 

Ben Thomas took the loss after allowing 10 runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Kelton Welch, Thomas, Bo Sitton and Smoke Ezell had hits for College Heights

College Heights (5-8) is at Riverton on Tuesday.

BOYS GOLF: Webb City, Carl Junction finish 2nd, 3rd at Bird Dog; Satterlee wins individual title

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The host Webb City Cardinals earned second place in the team standings by virtue of winning a tiebreaker against conference and district rival Carl Junction and Joplin junior Harry Satterlee won top individual honors with his 2-under par 70 on Monday in the Bird Dog Invitational at the Briarbrook Golf Course.

Nixa claimed the top prize at 304, four strokes ahead of Webb City and Carl Junction eight days before these schools and several others will battle for the Central Ozark Conference championship at the same course with Carl Junction assuming host duties.

Nixa’s Jack Holden finished second at even-par 72 and Webb City’s Braxten Cahoon, Carl Junction’s Jack Spencer and Monett’s Jaxon Bailey each shot 2-over 74 to round out the top five individual finishers Monday.

“I am very, very happy with the outing today,” Webb City coach Jackson Boyer said. “Three guys in the 70s. That happened (April 17) at Carthage and we needed help from our four and our five. Actually, our five-hole came through (Monday) with a 77 and he’s done that in practice. He’s still fairly new to golf … Jackson Lucas made a statement. We’re still trying to find our top five for conference and district.”

“We played pretty good,” Carl Junction coach Ryan Jones said. “Any time you’re playing golf, you’re more worried about what you shoot as opposed to everybody else. I feel like our scores weren’t too bad today. Nixa is a really good golf team and you’re just going to have to catch them on the right day to be able to beat them. Today, they played good enough.”

Webb City’s Cooper Forth shot 76 to finish in the top 10, Lucas stepped up and finished in the top 10 as well behind his 77 on Monday, and Levi Lassiter and Jack Good shot 81 and 91, respectively, for the Cardinals on a day when truly every shot counted.

“Braxten Cahoon, our senior, he came out on his home course, and he had a pretty disappointing last few years at this tournament for his standards and he showed up today and helped the team,” Boyer said. “Of course, there’s Cooper Forth and Levi Lassiter. It came down to a tie with Carl Junction for second, so we took our number five score against their number five score. All five contributed today and it’s a big accomplishment.

“We had cool temperatures early. Greens are running smooth. This is the time of the year where there’s enough warm weather to let the grass catch up a little bit. I thought the wind was going to pick up (Monday), but it just never did. It was absolute perfect conditions for golf today, so guys came out and answered the call.”

Carl Junction’s Tommy Walker joined Spencer in the top 10 with his score of 77, Logan Lowry and Jacob Teeter shot 78 and 79 to finish right on the periphery of the top 10, and Zach Merwin and Jayden Wingo shot 94 and 95 to round out the Bulldogs’ scores Monday.

“We’re right there,” Jones said. “Again, it’s another runner-up. We won the (St. Mary’s) Colgan Invitational last week, but for the most part, we’ve settled in. We’re consistent in our numbers. We are who we are. We’re close enough to beat anybody, but we just need to have one of those days where putts drop, and we don’t make just one mistake here or there. We’re in the mix of being a really, really good golf team. We just need one day where we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Satterlee, who shot 1-under par 70 and beat Republic’s Cason Bekemeier in a playoff to win the previous week’s Abbiati’s BBQ Invitational at Carthage and a 4-under 68 to win the Joplin Invitational earlier this season, again showed why he’s one of the best golfers around.

“Obviously, it’s all-around the same score nowadays, definitely pretty consistent,” Satterlee said. “It was obviously 2-under, anybody will take it … it’s just one tournament.

“It (Briarbrook) was playing pretty easy, to be honest. Par-5s are gettable. I played the par-5s even, which was disappointing, but I made up for it on par-4s.”

Satterlee did not require a playoff Monday, though, as he was the only golfer among the nearly 90 golfers to shoot under par.

“They’re fun, though,” Satterlee said. “But I was excited to win it by a couple strokes. I have to stay focused … the job’s not finished.”

Satterlee won the Bird Dog his sophomore year with a 2-under 70.

His sights are not only the more immediate future of the upcoming conference and district tournaments, but Satterlee also recently committed to play golf at the college level for NCAA Division I school Cincinnati, a member of the American Athletic Conference alongside schools like Houston, Memphis, Temple, and Wichita State.

“I took a visit in mid-February,” Satterlee said. “I got to see the facilities and they laid out the red carpet for me. I’m excited for the future. There’s a couple more schools talking with me, but at the end of the day, I decided that I wanted to pursue my academic and athletic career at Cincinnati.”

Team champion Nixa and individual champion Satterlee will look to defend their respective titles at next Tuesday’s conference tournament.

“Nixa is one of the best teams in Southwest Missouri and we get them again next week on the same course in our conference tournament,” Boyer said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge again.

“At this point, the kids know what they’re capable of physically, it’s the mental preparation. Anybody that’s ever played golf knows that it’s between the ears and having a plan and being able to bounce back from a bad shot. I tell the kids the secret to golf is to not hit two bad shots in a row. No one’s going to go out and play perfect, but if you can limit those (bad) shots and be mentally tough, especially around the green when you’re chipping and putting, that’s going to be our emphasis at practice until we enter the playoffs.”

Nixa won by 10 strokes last season with a 307 at Branson’s Pointe Royale Golf Course, while Ozark finished second at 317, Joplin third at 318, Webb City fourth at 327, Carl Junction fifth at 332, Carthage sixth at 336, Republic seventh at 343, Willard eighth at 356, Branson ninth at 363, and Neosho 10th at 370.

Nine of those 10 schools competed Monday at Briarbrook.

“That’s a good thing that we’re back here,” Jones said. “I would expect the course will play a little longer, a little different next week. We’ll play a different set of tees and it will have a little more teeth to the course. Our kids are used to that, and we’ll see if we’re good enough. This is as good as the Central Ozark Conference has been, as far as I can remember, in almost the 20 years I’ve been doing this. It’s a talented field next week, but I like our team and I like our chances if we go out and do what we’re capable of … we can make some noise next week.”

 

2023 Bird Dog Invitational

(at Briarbrook Golf Course)

Team scores: Nixa 304, Webb City 308, Carl Junction 308, Carthage 321, Ozark 330, Joplin 335, Branson 336, Monett 336, Frontenac 344, Republic 346, Seneca 361, Neosho 362, Mount Vernon 381, McAuley Catholic 384, Thomas Jefferson 393, Nevada 395, Diamond 423, Lamar 450.

Team Results

NIXA (304): Jack Holden 72, Chance Willhite 75, Noah Naugle 78, Peyton Burbridge 79, Meyer Lively 80.

WEBB CITY (308): Braxten Cahoon 74, Cooper Forth 76, Jackson Lucas 77, Levi Lassiter 81, Jack Good 91, Carson Judd 84, Braden McKee 87.

CARL JUNCTION (308): Jack Spencer 74, Tommy Walker 77, Logan Lowry 78, Jacob Teeter 79, Zach Merwin 94, Jayden Wingo 95.

CARTHAGE (321): Max Templeman 79, Owen Derryberry 79, Colson Brust 80, Britt Coy 83, Ben Nicholas 89.

OZARK (330): Kyle Fitzpatrick 78, Boston Huddleston 80, C.J. Jackson 81, Christian Colvin 91, Carter Cronister 101.

JOPLIN (335): Harry Satterlee 70, Hobbs Campbell 85, Dylan Bozarth 87, Ian Surbrugg 93, Cash Tyson 100.

BRANSON (336): Andrew Bristow 79, Ben Presley 81, Reese Ruprecht 86, Kaden Alms 90, Evan Johnson 92.

MONETT (336): Jaxon Bailey 74, Jake Hoyt 81, David Southard 90, Cal Butterworth 91, Clay Butterworth 99.

FRONTENAC (344): Aidan Hill 79, Cole Niederklein 80, Vinny Pile 89, Trey Cramer 96, Cooper Born 108.

REPUBLIC (346): Cason Bekemeier 77, Brayden Tharp 87, Jace Henry 88, Bryce Ondrick 94, Luke Heavin 101.

SENECA (361): Jeremy Haase 85, Eli Olson 89, Jace Wilson 93, Evan Davidson 94, Gabe Garcia 111.

NEOSHO (362): Colby Shadwick 84, Collier Hendricks 91, Conner Reiboldt 92, Camp Ramsey 95, River Feagans 98.

MOUNT VERNON (381): Owen Smith 91, Carter Meirick 93, Justin Orr 98, Jaiden Edwards 99, Clayton Turner 118.

MCAULEY CATHOLIC (384): Evan D’Amour 91, Rocco Bazzano-Joseph 94, Trey Martinez 98, Bradley Wagner 101, Liam Buerge 109.

THOMAS JEFFERSON (393): Jack Tyrell 85, Beck McKinney 94, Tony Touma 100, Benjamin Carroll 114, Ethan Ranger 116.

NEVADA (395): Preston Drake 95, Peyton Wyant 98, Talan Chandler 101, Hunter Gruenhagen 101, Wyatt Jenkins 110.

DIAMOND (423): Peyton Marbough 99, Jarron Hembree 101, Nathan Gray 103, Nik Paulk 120.

LAMAR (450): Koen Littlejohn 106, Cade Moore 107, Stratton Brazier 112, Trey Shaw 125.

AURORA: Ross Baker 91, Luke Stellwagen 92.

MCDONALD COUNTY: Jordan Saylor 105, Kole Lewis 106, Huston Porter 127.

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: College Heights rolls past Golden City to clinch Ozark 7 title; Diamond falls to Pierce City

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS 15, GOLDEN CITY 0

GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) scored four times in the first inning and 11 times in the second inning en route to a three-inning win in a rematch with Golden City on Monday. The victory secured a third straight Ozark 7 Conference title for the Cougars.

After beating the Golden Eagles 13-0 on Saturday in the Jasper Invitational, the Cougars added another win over Golden City on Monday to improve to 15-2 on the season. 

Maddy Colin earned the complete-game shutout and pitched a three-inning perfect game in the process, striking out six.

Teagan Warner took the loss after allowing 15 runs, eight earned, on five hits, eight walks and two strikeouts in two innings pitched. 

Kloee Williamson had two hits, scored three times and drove in one, while Colin added two hits and drove in three at the plate. 

College Heights is at Pierce City on Tuesday.

 

PIERCE CITY 3, DIAMOND 2

DIAMOND, Mo. — Pierce City rallied with two runs in the sixth inning on the way to a win over Diamond on Monday.

Claudia Crowell earned the complete-game win after allowing two runs on four hits, four walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings.

Caitlin Suhrie took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on seven hits and 13 strikeouts in seven innings.

Olivia Stanphill had two hits and scored a run. Crowell had a hit and drove in two for the Eagles.

Emilee Shallenburger had a double and an RBI, while Lauren Turner and Aubrey Ball each doubled and scored a run.

Diamond is at St. Mary’s Colgan on Tuesday.

TRACK & FIELD: Webb City boys 2nd, girls 4th at SBU invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

BOLIVAR, Mo. — Webb City’s boys and girls track and field teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the Southwest Baptist University High School Invitational on Monday.

The meet featured 22 schools who compete in Class 5 or Class 4.

Webb City’s boys finished second in the team standings with 85.5 points. Waynesville was first with 105.5. Nixa (76) and Kickapoo (58) were third and fourth.

The top four girls teams were Kickapoo (92), Republic (82), Marshfield (65) and Webb City (64).

Athletes from Carl Junction and Carthage also competed at the event. 

 

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

The Webb City boys won three events and had 11 total top-five finishes. 

Trey Roets won the javelin with a toss of 174 feet and Grayson Smith took first in the pole vault by clearing 14-7.25.

Evan Stevens crossed the line first in the 3200 with a time of 9:37 and was also second in the 1600 in 4:19.

Also for the Cardinals, Justin Allen took second in the pole vault, William Wolfe finished second in the 100, while Tucker Liberatore took third in the javelin, Nate Miller was fourth in the discus and Joseph DeGraffenreid finished fourth in the high jump.

Webb City’s Jordan Thornburg was sixth in the 100, Malique McCarter placed eighth in the javelin, Jadon Brisco took eighth in the pole vault and Julian Andrae was eighth in the triple jump.

The Cardinals finished third in the 4×100 relay and took fifth in the 4×200 relay.

Webb City’s girls won four events and finished in the top five in three others. 

Webb City senior Abi Street won two events, the 1600 with a time of 5:10 and the 3200 in 11:07.

Brooke Hedger took first in the 800 in 2:22 and Dawsyn Decker won the javelin with a toss of 136-9.

Also for the Cardinals, Hedger finished third in the 1600, Chase Stilley tied for third in the high jump, Essence Robinson took sixth in the 400, Aubree Lassiter finished seventh in the discus and Lily McCaw was eighth in the pole vault. 

Webb City’s girls were fourth in the 4×400 relay and seventh in the 4×100 relay.

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward won two events, the 100-meter dash in 12.29 seconds and the 200 in 25.7 seconds.

Also for the Bulldogs, Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson finished second and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault, and Madilyn Olds placed sixth in the javelin.

The CJ girls were eighth in two relays, the 4×100 and the 4×200.

Carl Junction’s Braxton Dodds finished seventh in the boys javelin and Ryder Pyles took seventh in the long jump.

Carl Junction’s girls were ninth in the team standings and the CJHS boys were 20th. 

 

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Carthage’s Miguel Solano took first in the boys 800 in 1:56.

Also for the Tigers, Daryl Martin finished third in the 110 hurdles and was fourth in the 300 hurdles, Micah Lindsey placed fourth in the shot put and seventh in the discus and Michael Lanyon took fifth in the 2000 steeplechase.

The Tigers were third in the 4×400 relay and eighth in the 4×800 relay.

For the Carthage girls, Lexa Youngblood placed fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 200, Chasity Straw finished fifth in the discus and Ada Roughton finished sixth in the triple jump.

The CHS girls finished seventh in the 4×400 relay and eighth in the 4×800 relay.

Carthage’s boys finished ninth in the standings, while the CHS girls were 16th.

 

BASEBALL: Webb City swept by visiting Rock Bridge on chilly Saturday

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The visiting Rock Bridge Bruins demonstrated why they are the fourth-ranked team in Class 6 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association during their doubleheader sweep of the host Webb City Cardinals on Saturday at Chuck Barnes Field.

Rock Bridge’s Owen Wise prevailed against Webb City’s Drew Vonder Haar in a classic 1-0 pitchers’ duel to start the day and the Bruins completed 14 innings of shutout baseball Saturday with a 4-0 win in the second game.

Webb City coach Andrew Doennig spent 10-15 minutes on the field after the second game talking alone with Rock Bridge coach Justin Towe about the Bruins’ offensive strategy.

“The thing we learned today is the execution of your offense is very, very important,” Doennig said. “(Rock Bridge) is a team that does what they do in their offense. They bunt, they run and they showed today why they are so good. They’ve won 17 games in a row now, so the execution of their offense was phenomenal. That’s what killed us today. They executed, and we didn’t.

“We just have to find a way. There’s going to be some games where we’re going to be able to hit and there’s going to be some games we may not be able to hit so well, so we’ve got to find a way in those games to be able to bunt guys over, move runners over and steal bases. That’s the thing going forward. We’ve told them getting into the playoffs, you’re not going to win every game 11-1 or 10-1 or whatever, you’re not going to blow people out, so we got to be able to get better at the small ball stuff.”

In Saturday’s second game, Webb City managed three hits against Rock Bridge starter Cade Luetkemeyer — a Vonder Haar double leading off the second, a Kaylor Darnell double leading off the fifth and a Sam Weller single leading off the sixth.

The Cardinals failed to execute with runners in scoring position and less than two outs.

Kenley Hood sacrificed Vonder Haar over 90 feet in the second, but Luetkemeyer induced a pair of flyball outs to retire the side.

Luetkemeyer earned a strikeout and two groundouts in the fifth.

Weller did not have a chance to get into scoring position in the sixth as the Bruins turned a 5-4-3 double play against Cy Darnell.

Rock Bridge relievers Carter Ihler and Brady Davidson came in and earned the last four outs.

The Bruins plated two runs in the second and one in the fourth and sixth, executing small ball during a day when runs were at a premium.

In the second, Dane Gray reached on an error, Cooper Siebuhr got on with a bunt single, and Crew Norden loaded the bases with Bruins on his single.

Gray scored on Cullen Snow’s bloop single to right and the Bruins executed the squeeze for their second run with Siebuhr coming home from third and Ty Thompson making the bunt.

Gray led off the fourth with a double, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on Snow’s sacrifice bunt with two strikes.

Siebuhr reached on an error leading off the sixth, stole both second and third, and closed the scoring when he came home on a Norden single.

Luke Beverlin earned the loss and he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 1 1/3 innings, Walker Sweet allowed one run (earned) on one hit with two strikeouts and one walk in 2 2/3 innings, Kaylor Darnell allowed one run (unearned) on two hits over two innings with two strikeouts and one walk, and Gage Chapman pitched a scoreless seventh with one hit allowed and one strikeout.

Webb City’s four pitchers combined for 121 total pitches, while Rock Bridge’s three arms finished at 80 in their seven innings.

Wise fired a two-hitter and Vonder Haar a three-hitter in the opener.

Wise struck out four and walked none, while Vonder Haar allowed one run (unearned) with two strikeouts and one walk over his seven innings.

Wise and Vonder Haar combined for 172 pitches total (Vonder Haar 93, Wise 79).

William Hayes singled in the third and Hood singled leading off the fifth, but the Cardinals set the tone for their day by leaving both Hayes and Hood in scoring position.

Wise supported himself by driving in what turned out to be the game’s only run with a two-out single bringing home Will Kimes in the fourth, only a half-inning after Webb City stranded Hayes at second.

Webb City dropped to 11-9 overall and the Cardinals take a three-game losing streak — starting with their 8-7 loss in Central Ozark Conference play Thursday against sixth-ranked in Class 6 Nixa, a loss that especially hurt since the Cardinals led 7-0 early on and then lost in eight innings — into Tuesday’s home game against conference and county rival Carl Junction.

“We drop a game at Nixa that you feel like you probably should have won,” Doennig said. “Then, coming out here and playing (Rock Bridge). We’ve played them for the past six years and it’s always been tough games, tight games. Today was a tough day to hit. It was 1-0 in the first game and then 4-0 now. It’s tough, but these are character-building days that you try and learn from and get better.”

 

GAME 1 STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

GAME 2 STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

SOFTBALL: College Heights wraps Jasper invite with win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

JASPER, Mo. — College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) closed the Jasper Invitational with a 13-0 win in five innings over Golden City on Saturday.

The Cougars (14-2) took control with a five-run third inning before scoring eight times in the fourth inning to invoke the mercy rule an inning later.

Maddy Colin pitched a complete-game shutout, earning the win after allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out 13 in five innings.

Teagan Warner took the loss after allowing 13 runs, eight earned on six hits, eight walks and four strikeouts in four innings.

Kloee Williamson tripled on the way to two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Lauren Ukena had a hit, drove in two and scored twice. Jayli Johnson had a hit, walked three times and scored twice. 

College Heights travels to Golden City for a regular season rematch against the Golden Eagles on Monday. 

TRACK & FIELD: Joplin boys finish second at Gary Parker invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — The Joplin High School boys track and field squad finished second in the team standings at the Gary Parker Invitational on Friday night.

The top five teams were Nixa (84.4), Joplin (77.2), Park Hill (75), Liberty (73) and Kearney (71). There were 15 teams competing.

Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell won the 3200 with a school record time of 9:17.35 and teammate Ian Horton was third in the same event (9:43).

Joplin’s boys won two relays, the 4×100 relay in 42.69 seconds and the 4×800 in 8:16. Competing in the 4×100 were Quinton Renfro, Davin Thomas, Orion Norris and Noah Soriano, while Campbell, Horton, Chance Tindall and Grey Edwards ran the 4×800.

Soriano finished second in two events, the 100-meter dash (11.46) and the 200 (22.58). He also finished third in the pole vault.

Also for the Eagles, Avarus Kuhn-Wofford took fourth in the 300 hurdles, Cordell Washington was fourth in the triple jump, Logan Bever took sixth in the pole vault, Dontrell Holt placed seventh in the shot put, Edwards finished seventh in the 1600 and Drew VanGilder placed eighth in the javelin.

The top five girls teams were Blue Springs (160), Liberty (92), Blue Springs (92), Park Hill (51.5) and Lee’s Summit North (51). 

Joplin’s girls scored 25 points and finished 11th out of 17 teams. 

Joplin’s Kiki Thom and Aubrey Strickland finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 300 hurdles.

Maria Loum placed fifth in the pole vault, Brylee Strickland finished sixth in the 100-meter dash, Micah Holden was sixth in the 100 hurdles and Aubrey Strickland finished eighth in the triple jump.

The JHS girls were sixth in the 4×400 relay, with Thom, Sophia Schroeder, Aubrey Strickland and Kendall Nyarango competing.

Joplin’s 4×100 relay team finished seventh, with Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Loum and Brylee Strickland competing.

SOFTBALL: College Heights splits first day of Jasper tourney

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

JASPER, Mo. — College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) opened the Jasper Invitational with a win over East Newton before falling to the host Eagles in the nightcap.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS 7, EAST NEWTON 3

College Heights broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run fourth inning before adding insurance in the fifth on the way to a win over East Newton in the opener.

Maddy Colin earned the win after allowing three unearned runs on three hits, a walk and eight strikeouts in five innings of work.

Gracie McMahan took the loss after allowing seven runs , six earned, on 11 hits, two walks and four strikeouts in five innings.

At the plate, Colin had three hits and an RBI, while Allie Stout and Aaliyah Perez each accumulated two hits. Stout drove in one and Perez two.

 

JASPER 3, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 2

After trading two runs each in the first inning, Jasper added a go-ahead run in the second frame and held off College Heights the rest of the way for a win in the Cougars’ second game of the day.

Grace Osborne earned the win after allowing two runs on three hits, seven walks and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Colin took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and 12 strikeouts in five innings.

Colin had two hits and an RBI at the plate for CHC, while Kallie Spencer had the other hit.

BASEBALL: McAuley cruises past Greenfield

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

GREENFIELD, Mo. — McAuley scored eight turns in the first inning to take control and sealed the win over Greenfield with a 13-run fifth inning for a 26-5 win in five innings on Friday.

Tripp Miller earned the win after pitching one scoreless inning with three strikeouts. 

Delton Greene took the loss after allowing 13 runs, six earned, on nine hits, five walks and seven strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Michael Parrigon had four hits, five RBI and three runs scored to lead the Warriors (5-8) at the plate. Joe Staton and Rocco Bazzano-Joseph each had three hits, including a double. Staton drove in five and scored five times, while Bazzano-Joseph scored three times and had two RBI.

McAuley is at Exeter on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL: Diamond goes 3-1 in Adrian tourney

Posted on by Lucas Davis

ADRIAN, Mo. — Diamond went 3-1 in the Adrian Softball Tournament on Friday, earning wins against Warsaw, Adrian and Archie and a loss to Concordia.

 

DIAMOND 17, ARCHIE 2

Diamond scored six runs in the first inning and 11 runs in the second on the way to a three-inning win over Archie.

Sara Roszell earned the win in the circle after allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits and three strikeouts in three innings.

Haleigh Kinney took the loss after allowing 17 runs on 17 hits, four walks and a strikeout in three innings.

Talyn Daniels had three hits, including a double and a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Caitlin Suhrie had two hits, including a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Lauren Turner had two hits, including a double, and scored three runs. Roszell doubled on the way to two hits and two runs scored.

 

DIAMOND 11, ADRIAN 1

Diamond hung crooked numbers in the first, second and third innings en route to a five-inning win over host Adrian.

The Wildcats scored four times in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Turner, and four runs in the second inning with RBI doubles from Grace Frazier, Suhrie and Turner. Suhrie and Kenzie Crook added RBI singles as part of a three-run third inning.

Suhrie earned the win after allowing one run one three hits, a walk and five strikeouts in three innings.

Kaydence Enos took the loss after allowing 11 runs on 14 hits, two walks and three strikeouts in four innings.

Suhrie and Frazier each had three hits at the plate. Frazier doubled, scored three times and drove in one, while Suhrie doubled twice on the way to three runs scored and two RBI. Turner doubled and finished with two hits, three runs scored and an RBI. Marissa DeJager doubled for one of her two hits and drove in one.

 

CONCORDIA 9, DIAMOND 2

Concordia scored in each of the first four innings, including a three-run third and four-run fourth, on the way to a five-inning win over Diamond.

Olivia Hemme earned the win after allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, four walks and nine strikeouts in five innings.

Suhrie took the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits, a walk and four strikeouts in three innings.

Aubrey Ball doubled and drove in one at the plate for Diamond.

 

DIAMOND 9, WARSAW 0

Diamond broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the third inning before adding two insurance runs in the fourth and five more runs in the fifth inning in a win over Warsaw.

Suhrie earned the win in the circle on five scoreless innings, scattering three hits, walking two and striking out 11.

Brylee Brewster took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits, three walks and six strikeouts in four innings.

Suhrie had three hits and four RBI to lead the Wildcats. 

Diamond hosts Pierce City on Monday.

 

BASEBALL: Pittsburg outlasts Carl Junction in slugfest

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The host Carl Junction Bulldogs and the visiting Pittsburg Dragons combined for 29 runs, 29 hits, 10 errors, 24 RBI, seven extra-base hits, eight walks, six hit batters and nearly 300 pitches during a wild and crazy 17-12 win for the guests from Kansas.

Pittsburg scored four runs in the first, third and seventh with one in the second and the fourth and three in the fifth, while Carl Junction plated two in the first and the sixth, seven in the third and one in the fourth.

The Bulldogs erased an early 9-2 deficit with their seven-run third and then knotted the score again at 10 with their run in the fourth.

The Bulldogs scored two in the sixth to narrow the deficit to 13-12, before the Dragons closed out the scoring with four insurance runs in the seventh.

“That’s the positive, that they had every opportunity to just quit, and they didn’t,” Carl Junction coach Phil Cook said. “We swung the bat well all day. We scored 12 runs, and you should win. They’re a good team, I know they’ve won a lot of games and they’ve got some guys at the top of their lineup that can flat out swing it. I think we’ve got a good team, too.

“We walked or hit nine … nine free ones. What happened with those nine? Here lately, some of the games that we’ve lost and lost close, even Willard the other day, we walked 14 … Springfield Catholic, we walked 11 … and then nine (Friday). You can’t do that and expect to win. You can’t put nine guys on free and expect to beat anybody. We’ve got to clean that up.

“We are swinging it well. We had a couple errors, so did they. It’s a tough day out there. That field is hard as a rock. We need some rain. I’m discouraged. I hate getting beat, that’s what it boils down to, but I am encouraged by the fight that the kids had and the way they swung it.”

Logan Eck and Wyatt McAfee combined for half of Carl Junction’s 12 hits with three each and Arlen Wakefield, Bentley Rowden, Lucas Vanlanduit, Drew Massey, Deacon Endicott and Mekhi McGarry each had the other half of the 12 hits with one apiece.

Endicott provided one of the game’s most thrilling moments with his three-run inside-the-park home run in the third. Eck added a RBI single and McAfee tied it up at 9 with his RBI single.

Eck put the Bulldogs on the board with a RBI triple in the second that brought home Vanlanduit after he led off the inning with a walk.

Massey’s RBI triple tied it at 10 in the fourth.

Endicott finished with four RBI, his first on a sacrifice fly that plated Eck in the second, while Vanlanduit scored three runs and Eck drove in and scored two.

Eck took a no-decision and he allowed 10 runs (four earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks over four innings.

Endicott ended with the loss and he allowed seven runs (four earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout and no walks over his three innings of relief.

Beau Pasteur led Pittsburg’s 17-hit attack with four and the trio of Dawson Stegman, Tucker Akins, and Ethan Rhodes each had three hits.

Webb Fern’s two-run triple only three batters in opened the scoring and Pittsburg’s catcher finished his day with four RBI, all in the first three innings.

Jackson Turnbull added three RBI for the Dragons.

Pittsburg starter Garrett Hanson also did not factor in the final decision and he allowed nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 2 2/3 innings.

Quentin Fears earned the win in relief with three runs (one earned) on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Carl Junction dropped to 7-12 overall on the season and the Bulldogs return to Central Ozark Conference action Tuesday on the road against their rival Webb City.

BOYS TENNIS: Host Eagles take fourth at Joplin invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

The host Eagles finished fourth at their own Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament on Friday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

“As a team, we were one match away from finishing in third, which was won by Glendale,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “We played a tight match against them, going 2-3.”

Branson was the team champion after going 22-3 on the day, while Willard took second with a 20-5 mark. Glendale was third after going 12-12, with Joplin fourth at 11-14, Clever fifth (5-20) and the Joplin JV sixth (4-21).

Joplin’s Adam Badr was the runner-up at No. 1 singles.

“Adam had the best performance for our team today, going 4-1,” Stump said. “His only loss was to Caden Lingenfelser from Willard. Adam was hitting his serves well and played out great points throughout the day.”

Joplin’s Zekir Ajruloski hits a volley at the net during Friday’s Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament at JHS. Photo by Jason Peake.

Badr defeated Branson’s Jack Dawson 6-4, beat Clever’s Cade Clements 6-1, defeated Glendale’s Eli Hancock 6-2, suffered a 6-1 loss to Lingenfelser and beat Joplin JV’s Oscar Kienzle 6-3.

At No. 2 singles, Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood went 2-3.

Hazlewood beat Clever’s Triston Keithly 6-0 and he topped Joplin JV’s Landon White 6-1.

Hazlewood took a 6-0 loss to Branson’s Ben Merrifield, had a 6-3 setback to Glendale’s Carson Johnson and suffered a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5) loss to Willard’s Brigham Thedell.

At No. 3 singles, Joplin’s Leif Garrity won two matches.

Garrity beat Clever’s Greg West 6-0 and then won his match against Joplin JV’s Griffan Keller by default.

Branson’s Preston Volz defeated Garrity 6-2, Glendale’s Tilio Levy topped Garrity 6-4 and Willard’s Gabe Hernandez beat Garrity 6-4.

Joplin’s No. 1 doubles team of Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley went 1-4.

The Eagles lost to Branson 6-0, suffered a 6-2 loss to Clever, fell 7-5 to Glendale and lost 6-0 to Willard. Mancipe-Merkley defeated Joplin JV’s Cooper Burrow-Zekir Ajruloski 6-2.

Joplin’s No. 2 doubles team of Roman Venturella and Chapel Braman went 3-2.

The Eagles edged Clever’s Jason Williams-Kadon Smith 7-5, beat Glendale’s Connor Cook-Carter Roberts 6-3 and beat the Joplin JV by default.

The Eagles lost to Branson 6-0 and suffered a 6-2 setback to Willard. 

The Joplin JV squad earned four wins.

At No. 1 singles, Joplin JV’s Kienzle defeated Glendale’s Hancock 7-6 and topped Clever’s Clements 6-2.

White earned a 6-2 win over Clever’s Keithly, while Kellar beat Clever’s West 6-2.

Willard’s Lingenfelser won the No. 1 singles bracket, Branson’s Merrifield won the No. 2 singles bracket and Branson’s Volz was the top performer at No. 3 singles.

The top No. 1 doubles team was Willard’s Seth Miller-Dawson Amstutz, while Branson’s Heath Stark-Zach Zander were the top No. 2 doubles team.

 

Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood returns a serve during No. 2 singles play at Friday’s Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament at the JHS Athletic Complex. Photos by Jason Peake.

 

Joplin’s Cooper Burrow serves during doubles play on Friday at the Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament. The host Eagles took fourth at the invite. Photo by Jason Peake.

TRACK & FIELD: Host Tigers, area athletes shine at Lamar Relays

Posted on by Jason Peake

LAMAR, Mo. — Local tracksters competed at the Lamar Rotary Relays on Thursday.

Lamar’s boys won the team, while the Lamar girls were second in the final team standings. The team champion in the girls meet was Pittsburg, Kansas.

Seneca and McAuley Catholic were among the Joplin area schools competing.

 

BOYS HIGHLIGHTS

Monett’s Konner Poynter won three events—the 100-meter dash in 11.42 seconds, the 110 hurdles in 15.55 and the 300 hurdles in 40.26. He was second in the 200 in 22.66 seconds. 

Lamar’s Terrill Davis (high jump, triple jump) and East Newton’s Chase Sorrell (800, 1600) won two events apiece. 

Winning events for Lamar were Ian Ngugi (200), Tyson Williams (discus), Cameron Sturgell (javelin) and Trace Wooldridge (shot put). 

Other event winners were Monett’s Julio Cruz (3200) and Nevada’s Drew Beachler (long jump).

Lamar’s boys won three relays, the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400. East Newton won the 4×800. 

McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon finished third in the 1600 (4:50) and teammate Joe Staton was eighth in the pole vault (8-6.25). 

Seneca’s Blake Hurn finished fifth in the 100 and eighth in the 200, while Grant Landers was fifth in both the long jump and triple jump, Ethan Altic took sixth in the 800 and Brock Pendergraft placed seventh in the javelin.

 

GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS

Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four events—the 200 in 26.64 seconds, the 100 hurdles in 15.32, the 300 hurdles in 47.03 and the high jump (5-5.75).

Lamar’s Kiersten Potter (1600, 3200) and El Dorado Springs’ McKinli Mays (triple jump, 800) each won two events. 

Other individual event winners were Seneca’s Isabella Renfro (shot put), Monett’s Vayla Smith (400) and Lamar’s Elise Ferris (long jump).

Lamar’s girls won the 4×800.

McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey placed third in the 1600 (5:53) and seventh in the 800 (2:43).

Also for Seneca, Amber Garrison finished fourth in the javelin, Cambry Long took fifth in the 200, Amber Garrison was sixth in the shot put, Anna Adkins finished seventh in the high jump and Harley Lankford took seventh in the discus.

 

Lamar Rotary Relays

Boys team scores: Lamar 175, Monett 107, Nevada 79, East Newton 74, Pittsburg 67, El Dorado Springs 52, Jasper 44, Butler 40.5, Pierce City 25.5, Seneca 25, Liberal 18.5, McAuley Catholic 14, Miller 4.5, Lockwood 4.

Girls team scores: Pittsburg 104, Lamar 87, El Dorado Springs 85, Butler 74.5, Monett 74.5, Jasper 57, Nevada 42.5, Pierce City 42, Seneca 36, Liberal 32, Sheldon 24, Miller 16.5, East Newton 16, Lockwood 11, McAuley Catholic 8, Bronaugh 6.

 

GIRLS SOCCER: Ozark blanks Joplin in dominating performance

Posted on by Jason Peake
Joplin’s Sage Mitchell is pictured during Thursday’s match with Ozark. Photo by Israel Perez.

The visiting Ozark Tigers’ feet caught on fire late in the first half of their Central Ozark Conference match Thursday night against the host Joplin Eagles.

The Tigers scored four goals in the final 10 minutes and 4 seconds before the half on their way to a 5-0 halftime lead and eventual 8-0 mercy-rule win over their Class 4 District 5 rival.

Five different Ozark players each scored one of the first-half goals and Joplin did not take a shot all night during a match when Ozark absolutely dominated possession.

The Eagles dropped to 4-6 overall and 1-2 COC with a five-match losing streak entering Tuesday’s competition on the road against county, conference, and district rival Carthage.

“It’s tough any time a game ends early like that,” Joplin coach Josh Thompson said. “It’s hard to swallow, but what we talked about here is the growth we’ve had from the beginning of the season to this point right now.

“We were forcing Ozark to do some creative things to be able to create goal scoring opportunities there at the beginning of the game. Everybody worked their butts off for the first 20 or so minutes and stayed really solid. It was a good testament to how much hard work these girls have put in this season.

“What I’m focused on is how much they’ve improved … whenever you’re going up against a team as Ozark, they made it difficult on us to do anything except for play a lot of defense. We spent the whole game sitting back and taking punches. That’s what happened today. There was some attrition. We were missing some people today, as well, so for the tired legs we just put in more tired legs.

“We’ve got a lot to look forward to, I mean we’re moving forward to Carthage next week. We’re excited for the opportunity to be able to take them on. That’s our focus. We hate this right now, but we have to know there’s growth in a game like this (Ozark) and be ready for the next one.”

 

Joplin’s Paisley Parker is pictured during Thursday’s match with Ozark. Photo by Israel Perez.

 

Joplin’s Libby Munn is pictured during Thursday’s match against Ozark.

 

Masyn Briggs is pictured during Thursday’s match against Ozark. All photos by Israel Perez.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Mac County earns win; Webb City, Neosho, CHC and Seneca take losses

Posted on by Lucas Davis

MCDONALD COUNTY 2, EAST NEWTON 1

ANDERSON, Mo. — McDonald County senior Cross Dowd tossed a no-hitter against the East Newton Patriots on Thursday.

Dowd struck out 11 and walked two in the complete-game victory. 

The Mustangs, who improved to 12-6 overall and 4-0 in the Big 8, scored once in the second and once in the fourth. Weston Gordon and Devin Stone had the RBI for the Mustangs. 

East Newton’s lone run scored in the top of the seventh after Ty Bowman reached on an error. He went to second and third after back-to-back sacrifice bunts. Bowman scored on a wild pitch before Dowd retired the side to secure the no-hitter. 

East Newton’s Christian Cook took the loss, but only allowed two runs on eight hits.

McDonald County is at Cassville on Tuesday. 

East Newton (6-9) hosts Monett on Tuesday. 


NIXA 8, WEBB CITY 7 (8 INNINGS)

OZARK, Mo. — Webb City was unable to hold on to a seven-run lead in a hard to swallow 8-7 Central Ozark Conference setback to Nixa on Thursday at Sky Bacon Stadium.

Webb City led 7-0 after the top of the third inning, but the visitors were unable to score the rest of the way.

Nixa plated two runs in the third, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh to force extra innings before pushing across the game-winning run in the eighth. 

The Cardinals fell to 11-7 and 4-1 in the COC, while Class 6 No. 6 Nixa improved to 15-3 and 4-1 in the COC. Nixa is ranked sixth in Class 6, while Webb City is receiving votes in Class 5. 

The Cardinals pushed across three runs in the first inning against Nixa starting pitcher Colin Kelley.

Leadoff batter Sam Weller tripled to right and scored on Cy Darnell’s RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning, Drew Vonder Haar delivered a run-scoring triple to the wall in center before Kenley Hood followed with an RBI single to give Webb City a three-run cushion.

Webb City added four runs in the third, as William Hayes drew a bases-loaded walk, Gage Chapman smacked a two-run single into left and Weller contributed an RBI single into right for a 7-0 lead.

Nixa got on the board in the bottom of the third on Rylan Michel’s two-run home run to left.

The Eagles plated two runs in the fifth on Michel’s sac fly and Caeden Cloud’s RBI single. Nixa tacked on a run in the sixth after a double, a ground out and an error. 

The Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a hit by pitch, two singles, a passed ball and a wild pitch, forcing extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, an error in the field, a wild pitch, a ground out and a walk put runners on the corners. Wyatt Vincent lifted the game-ending sac fly to right field to give Nixa a walk-off win.

Nixa’s Rylan Evans was the winning pitcher. He tossed five scoreless innings in relief, striking out six and allowing just one hit. Kelley gave up seven runs on 10 hits in three innings.

Weller had three hits for the Cardinals, while Darnell, Hood and Chapman had two hits apiece.

Payton Marshall took the loss. Landon Fletcher started and went 5 ⅓ innings.

Webb City hosts a pair of state-ranked Class 6 squads on Saturday at Barnes Field — Rock Bridge at 11 a.m. and Francis Howell at 3 p.m. Rock Bridge is ranked fourth and Francis Howell is ranked fifth. 

 

LIBERAL 18, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 8 (5 INNINGS)

Liberal scored 11 runs in the fourth inning on the way to a five-inning win over College Heights on Thursday.

Chase Ray earned the win after allowing eight runs, five earned, on six hits, four walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

Smoke Ezell took the loss after allowing 14 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits, one walk and two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Jayce Walker had two hits and scored two runs at the plate, while Ezell had two hits and drove in two.

College Heights is at Billings on Saturday.

 

MOUNT VERNON 6, SENECA 3

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Mount Vernon trailed 3-2 heading into the last of the fifth inning when the Mountaineers scored four times to take the momentum en route to the win.

Mount Vernon (8-6) took the lead on a two-run double from Gavin Johnston before Sean Raucher added an RBI single. A walk to Grayson Gann with the bases loaded forced in the final run of the frame.

Braden Dodson earned the win after allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. 

Grant Houchin took the loss after allowing six runs, three earned, on five hits, five walks and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

Raucher had two hits, scored twice and drove in one. 

Hagan Ginder had a hit and drove in two for Seneca (9-9), while Kade Johnson had a hit, RBI and a run scored.

Seneca hosts Purdy on Saturday.

 

WILLARD 9, NEOSHO 0

WILLARD, Mo. — Willard (14-8, 4-1 COC) defeated Neosho (12-6, 1-4 COC) in Central Ozark Conference play on Thursday.

No other information was available at the time of publication. 

 

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

BRANSON 3, CARL JUNCTION 2

BRANSON, Mo. — Carl Junction suffered a COC setback to Branson on Wednesday.

The game was deadlocked at two when the Pirates scored a go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning. 

Neither team managed much offense, as the Bulldogs and Pirates recorded six hits apiece.

Carl Junction’s Gaige Carson took the loss, but he allowed just three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four. 

Arlen Wakefield had two of Carl Junction’s six hits. Logan Eck had the lone RBI, while Bentley Rowden and Wakefield scored runs.

Branson’s Collin Ross was the winning pitcher. He scattered six hits and struck out three. 

Mark Bristow drove in two runs for the Pirates (10-12). 

Carl Junction (7-11) hosts Pittsburg, Kansas, on Friday.

 

REPUBLIC 4, CARTHAGE 2

REPUBLIC, Mo. — Four early runs held up for Republic in Wednesday’s COC contest against Carthage.

Down 4-0 after the third inning, Carthage pushed across single tallies in both the fourth and sixth innings for their lone runs of the game.

Carthage was limited to three hits by Republic pitchers Myles Lozano and Preston McCracken. 

Lozano earned the win after going four innings. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out five. McCracken tossed three innings, allowing one run on one hit and striking out two for the host Tigers.

Ty Perry had two of Carthage’s three hits, while Langston Morgan had the other. Perry and Brady Carlton drove in runs.

Clay Kinder scored both of Carthage’s runs.

Kinder took the loss on the mound, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out four in four innings. Carlton tossed two scoreless innings in relief.

Carthage (3-15) will play two non-conference games on Saturday in Springfield, as the Tigers take on Rogersville and Parkview. 

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